For Morgan Waggener, the owner of 500 District, her dream of joining the business world came true when she was just nineteen by opening the Heart of Michigan Cafe – a cafe with a full menu specializing in coffee that created an environment for the community and travelers to enjoy. Morgan opened the 505 Cafe in December of 2015, but she wasn’t ready to stop there. A year after opening Heart of Michigan Cafe, Morgan continued on to open the Venue at 501 – the Cafe’s sister business – that has since hosted countless weddings, showers, and events. She expanded again in the spring of 2017, opening The Upper Rooms Sleep Suites right above the Cafe. In July 2019, Heart of Michigan Cafe rebranded to 505 Cafe and expanded their menu to lunch options and handcrafted cocktails; then The 500 District was created. In May of 2021 the 500 District expanded yet again and opened the Trap Door Speakeasy located beneath the Venue at 501. Morgan’s dream won’t stop there…stay tuned for what’s to come in the future for The 500 District!

Karly officially joined the team in December 2020, but she has always been a supporter of her sister, Morgan. Karly is an asset to our team after obtaining her Bachelors degree from Northwood University in Business Management. Her passion for marketing shines through all of her work on our business pages, but you can also find her in the cafe interacting with our customers. Stay tuned to see what this duo brings The 500 District!

Kameron grew up in Clare and attended Northwood University as a student-athlete where she received her bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management in May of 2023. When deciding what major to study in college, Kameron was drawn to the idea of being hands-on with the planning process of weddings and events. Having the opportunity to put those ideas into 505 Cafe is the perfect way to start in the Hospitality Field.

With her driven attitude and habit of making everything as perfect as it can be, Kameron is a great asset to The 500 District team. She hopes to create a fun work environment for the cafe employees and be able to build her knowledge into the business.

Outside of work, Kameron enjoys curling up next to her cat with a book and a glass of wine. She also loves to travel, some of her favorite events/places she has traveled to are Denmark, the Taylor Swift concert, Nashville, and California. The person she loves sharing her time with the most is her boyfriend, Scott, who supports her in all of her endeavors.